Tufted fabric and method of producing same



May 25, 1954 c. M. JONES TUFTED FABRIC AN]? METHOD OF PRODUCING SAIIEL Filed Mayl7, 1951 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR CLARENCE M. JONES ATTORNEY May 25; 1954- JONES 2,679,221.

TUFTED FABRIC AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Filed May 17, 1951 2 Sheets- Shaw s 2 INVENTOR. CLARENCE M. JONES ATTORNEY Patented May 25 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TUFTED FABRIC AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Clarence M. Jones, Calhoun, Ga. Application May 17, 1951, Serial No. 226,780

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a tufted fabric and method of producing same, and more particularly to a novel and unique pattern of tufted chenille or loop pile fabric.

During the rapid growth of the chenille industry from a relatively few hand operators to the many factories employing large machines, it has been the constant effort of manufacturers to vary the design of the product and improve its quality so that the mass-produced goods might be delivered to the consumer at the lowest possible cost. The tuft of the product has been both lengthened and shortened to produce various effects and the rows of stitches have been varied with odd and pleasing results.

In the rug industry, where rugs of a given width are made in acontinuous process, it has been extremely difficult to vary the stitching pattern from the conventional parallel rows of stitches running lengthwise the rug as it is fed through the stitching machine under the needle bar. When it is desired to produce this same stitching crosswise the rug, it has been formerly necessaryto cut the material to length and to run the individual rugs back through the machine to produce the waffle or squared pattern. It is readily apparent that this has been both expensive and tedious.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tufted fabric and method of producing same wherein the two-directional stitching is accomplished while the base material is being fed substantially uni-directionally through the machine.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tufted fabric having tufts arranged in pairs of rows which alternately converge and diverge.

Another object of my invention is to provide a tufted fabric having a stitching pattern resembling a series of connected diamonds, and which can be produced commercially.

Another object of my invention is to provide a method of producing a tufted fabric in which a fabric base is fed longitudinally and alternately moved from side to side while tufts of yarn are inserted in said fabric base simultaneously at points spaced apart along the length 'of said fabric.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the'course of the following detailed description when viewed together with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a'chenille tufting machine for tufting in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken plan view rotated through Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the loop forming and cutting mechanism, the same being shown in the act of receiving a loop made by one of the needles. 7 v

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig. 4 with the mechanism shown in the act of severing some of the loops previously formed by the needle.

Fig. 6 is a broken view taken along line 6+6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a detail.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. '7 on a further enlarged scale.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the completed fabric, showing my novel pattern;

Fig. 10 is a reverse side view of the fabric shown in Fig. 9. r

In thedrawing I have shown an example of a machine for producing my novel fabric, and wherein numeral [0 designates a base forthe machine which is usually a large metal casting of r a shape and size conforming to those of the prior art. Most of the actual components of the machine are either supported upon or enclosed by an upper framework ll bolted or otherwise fastened to the base. 7

Numeral l2 designates removable covers for a gear train positioned at the opposite end of the machine as shown in Fig. 1, which gear train is connected to an electric motor or other driving means (not shown) in the same manner as in machines of the prior art.

Across the top of the machine is a housing l3 which encloses the main crank: shaft of the machine, the connecting rods of which are extended downwardly through a bearing support l4 much in the same manner as shown in Fig. 3. ,The lower ends of the rods are connected to the needle bar which is made to reciprocate vertically upon turning the crankshaft to perform the stitching. g

As seen in Fig. 1, the crankshaft is extended through the end of the housing I3 and provided with a small hand wheel I5. The inside hub of the hand wheel is provided with a pulley sheave l6.

Afiixed on the front of the frame H I have provided a box-shaped housing I! having a shaft l8 rotatably journaled therein. The end of the shaft extends through the housing at one end and is provided with a pulley sheave I9 arranged so that the shaft may be rotated with the hand wheel I by means of a connecting belt 20.

Fixed to the shaft I 8, inside the housing H, is a cam frame 2! having a groove 2| machined on its outer rim, as shown in Fig. '7, in a manner to co-act with the inner end of an actuating shaft 22 which is extended through a bearing 23 made integral with the housing H. The inner end of the shaft 22 is provided with a pin 22 which is slidably hooked to the machined rim of the cam frame 2!, as shown in Fig. 8, so that when the same is rotated by the hand wheel in the above described manner, the shaft 22 is made to reciprocate longitudinally.

The outer end of the shaft 22 is pivotally connected to a bar 24 which is pivotally mounted on the upper bed of the machine frame [0 by a stud 25. The shaft 22 may either be made in pivotally joined lengths or made of flexible material so that its outer end may be pivotally connected to one of several spaced holes 26 in the end of the bar 24 to adjust the final movement of the bar by the cam action.

As seen in Fig. 2, the top of the machine bed is provided with a rectangular opening 21 to permit the needles to co-act with mechanisms beneath to complete the looping and 'tufting. Across this opening I have provided a picker roll 28. Such a roll is commonly used in other places in the textile industry and is provided with many needle-point projections scattered over its periphery so as to grip and guide a fabric in any manner desired. Opposite ends of this picker roll are slidably and rotatably journaled in bearings 29 and 30, respectively, so as to permit longitudinal movement of the roll. Connected to the roll near one end is a coupling 31 provided with a pin 32 positioned in an elongated slot formed in the forward end of the pivoted bar 24. Now it can be seen that by rotating the cam 2|, the picker roll 28 is made to reciprocate longitudinally in its bearings 23 and 30.

In the present instance the front of the machine base H! is provided with a guide roll 33 while the feeder roll 34 is mounted on the back of the base It). The shaft 35 of the feed roll is extended through the gear train cover [2 where it finally connects to the driving gear train of the machine in the manner disclosed by the prior art.

The base fabric, or ducking 36, is carried as a roll 31 placed upon a portable stand 38, the legs of which ride upon rails 39 placed parallel to the axis of the machine bed so that the fabric 36 may be fed in correct alignment through the I machine. As the rear feed roll 34 is rotated by the gear train of the machine, the fabric is carried up over the front guide roll 33 where it passes beneath a removable steel bar 40 which serves as a weight to give tension to the fabric. Simultaneously with the feedin of the fabric through the machine, the cam 2| is put into action, which reciprocates the picker roll 28. pulling the fabric 35 from one side to the other, forming a pattern as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 9 and which will be described in detail later in the specification.

As the tufted fabric 36' passes over the feed roll 34, it is wound upon another roll at the rear of the machine, from which it is finally removed for trimming and dyeing. In the present .illustration the means of winding the product coming from the machine consists of a fabricated steel stand 4! being more or less box-like in structure and provided with a guide roll 42 rotatably mounted between the front legs thereof. The tufted material 38, coming over the rear feed roll 34, passes beneath the guide roll 5.2 on the stand 4| and is wound upon a receiving roll 43 which is rotated, in the present instance, by an electric motor 44 which is connected to the roll 43 by means of driving belts and pulleys As pointed out above, prior art machines generally of the present type are pro-vided with an upper crankshaft arranged to vertically reciprocate rods, the lower ends of which are fastened to the needle bar of the machine. These rods are extended through bearing supports depending from the lower side of the crankshaft and are spaced, according to the width of the: machine, to give sufiicient rigidity as the needle bar is driven up and down to push the needles through the base fabric to form the loops. In Fig. 3 it can be seen that, in the machine shown, I have dispensed with the single needle bar commonly used in the prior art, and have attached a bracket 45 in its place. Each of the rods of the machine extending through its bearing H3 is provided with such a bracket 45 which is made as a metal casting and arranged for attachment to a needle bar at each of its outer ends. Thus, instead of the former single needle bar, I have provided two needle bars 46 and 4'! spaced equidistantly from. and parallel to, the transverse of the machine. Each of the needle bars il is provided with a row of equidistantly spaced needles 59, 59", respectively, through the same in the manner of the prior art. However, in my machine theneedles of one bar are arranged so that they will lie in the spaces of the other bar. For example, if the fabric were drawn through the machine without any relative sidewise movement of the fabric between the two bars, the stitching pattern would assume simply a series of parallel lines. The yarn 48 is fed to the needles from. the bobbins 49 which may be conveniently held upon the rack 49,

Beneath the machine bed I have placed certain mechanisms associated'with each needle of both needle bars to complete the loop forming and cut ting operations which will now be described.

Extending transversely through the machine I have placed four shafts 50, 50, 5| and 51. One end of each of these shafts is mechanically associated with suitable timing mechanism (not shown) driven by the machines driving means. Since all of the shafts are made to reciprocate in short, arcuate movements, any known method of providing such action may be employed together with timing the action to the needle stroke. Figs. 4 and 5 will illustrate more clearly the actions of the shafts necessary to complete the loops made by the needles and the means of severing the loops.

It will be remembered that the mechanisms now described are spaced along the shafts above mentioned and associated with each needle of both needle bars. On the shafts 5!, 5!, I have placed a small arm 52 locked to the shaft by means of a set screw 53. This arm supports a short standard 54 which is fastened to the arm by means of screws 55. The top of the standard 54 is provided with a removable head 56 having a hook 51 formed on its forward end. As shown in Fig. 6,. the forward side edge 58 of the hook is beveled and polished smooth so that the same will slide easily by the needle 59 as illustrated in Fig. 4. f he action of the shaft 5| is so timed that when the needle 59 is being withdrawn from the fabric 36, the hook 51 is slid into the loop 60 of the thread to hold the same a given distance below the fabric. Were it not for the hook mechanism, it is readily apparent that the thread would be withdrawn from the fabric with the needle and no loop would be left.

Rearwardly of the hook member I have provided a recess 6! serving as a pocket so that several loops might be stacked for cutting. In this manner the needle is always ahead of the loops being cut and therefore does not lose its thread.

Upon the shafts 5t, 50', I have provided an arm 62 held to the shaft by means of a set screw 53. Afiixed to the outer end of this arm 62 is a. thin, fiexib-le knife blade 64, held by its own spring tension against the side of the hooked head member 56 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 4, the timing of both shafts 50 and 5! is such that when the hooked head member is receiving the loop: of yarn formed by the receding needle, the knife is drawn downwardly away from a cutting position. These movements are more clearly pointed out by the directional arrows on the drawing.

In Fig. 5. however, the movements of the shafts are illustrated as being reversed, as shown by the directional arrows. The timing here is such that when the needle 59 leavesthe fabric 36, and the loop has been properly hooked, the head member 56 recedes away from the path of the needle, bringing a portion of the stacked loops into the path of the knife 6 which is now made to travel upwardly in the direction of the arrow. As shown, the knife is made to sever only a portion of the loops held in the pocket 5! so that perfect stitching by the needle is not interfered with. When the needle 59 descends again and begins to leave the fabric 3% the mechanism will again assume the position as shown in Fig. 4 and the cycle is repeated. It will be remembered that the above described actions take place rapidly and may be adjusted for the speed of the fabric as it is pulled through the machine by the feed roll 34.

With the details of the machine thus far de scribed it is readily apparent that by pulling the fabric from one side to the other between the two: needle bars the final stitching is made to simulate a series of connected diamonds as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 9.

It is known that buyers in the rug industry not only inspect the face or tufted side of the rug for beauty and texture but also inspect the reverse side to see that the stitching is tight and close enough to give sufficient rigidity to the rug itself. While the patterns of stitching in machine-made rugs has been heretofore limited, it is apparent that considerable variation may be had by use of the machine illustrated. Various shapes and sizes of cams may be used to move the picker roll in any desired fashion. Although not shown in the present application, it is within the scope of my invention to gear the feed roll with the cam 25 in such a manner that the fabric may be made to hesitate in its movement through the machine to allow the cam to move the picker roll 28 through several successive stages so that the final stitching may assume many patterns. This machine, since it employs many components of the prior art, is inexpensive to manufacture and so arranged that repair or replacement of any part is relatively easy.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that according to my method two-directional stitching is accomplished While the fabric base is being fed substantially uni-directionally to form a tufted fabric, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, in which the tufts are placed in pairs of rows 55, -66, 65 6'7, 67; etc. The rows of each pair, such as 66, 6G, alternately converge to substantially touch each other, and respectively diverge to substantially touch the rows of adjacent pairs. For example, the rows 66, 66' substantially touch each other and then diverge to substantially touch the rows -55 and 61, respectively, whereby a pattern of connected diamonds is formed.

While I have illustrated and described my invention in a very practical embodiment thereof without attempting to illustrate or describe the embodiments or adaptations, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

Method of producing a tufted fabric comprising feeding a fabric base lengthwise, simultaneously inserting strands of yarn in said fabric base at a plurality of points spaced along the length of said fabric base to form tufts extending from at least one face of said fabric base, and pulling on said fabric base between said points to move said fabric base from side to side between said points while continuing the steps of feeding said fabric base and inserting strands of yarn in said fabric base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 257,786 Thomas May 9, 1882 378,915 Beck Mar. 6, 1888 2,513,261 Behrens June 2'7, 1950 

